Improvement in apparatus for evaporating cane-juice



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LettersPatent No. 113,590, dated April-11, 1871.

iMPRovEMENT In APPARATUS FOR EvAPoRA'riNG CANE-Juice, ac.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pari: of the same.

To whomi't may concern-.-

Be it known that I, EBENEZER SPERRY, of Chicago, in the conntyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Evaporators; and I do declare that the following is a true and accurate description thereof, reference bein g had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon and being a part of this speciiication.4

.'lhe nature ot' this invention relates to au improved construction of evaporators, more especially designed for evaporating cane-juice; and consists in the peculiar arrangement of the tire-places and their connection with the evaporating-pau, by means of which the greatest result can be obtained from the least fuel; also, in an apparatus for cleansing the juice, which is used for the purpose oi' drawing oit" from time to time the sedimentary impurities which will be precipitated to the bottom ofthe wells during the boilingr process;

Valsofiu 4an arrangement of seltloperating skimmcrs,

and a receiver, through which fresh `juice is supplied to the boil-er or eva porating-pan; also, to an arrangement for cooling off the liquid when it is boiled to the highest state of concentration; also, in air and heatregulators and air-lines, and in a novel arrangement of its various parts, as more fully hereinafter described.

Figure l is a perspective. elevation of my apparatus.

l 'Figuren 2 is 4a perspective plan of my boiler and evaporatiug-pan, with a portion of one ofthe walls brokenout to show the gate between one of the sinks and the boiler. p

Figure 3 is a'planof the tire-places and dues. 'Figure 4 is a perspective section showing the receiver, through which fresh juice isv fed to the boiler. vFigure 5 is a horizontal vertical section of the con'- denser. I

Figure 6 is aside elevation of the same with a portieri ofthe jacket broken out.

Figure '7 is a cross-section of double wall A. Figure 8 is a front view ofthe same. Figure i) is a bottom plan of' the regulator. Figure 1U isa cross-section of the same. Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of the saine.

rlhis invent-ion is designed to be an improvement upon an evaporator for which Letters Patent were ssuedhtar-me on the 10th day of September, 1867.

,ln the accompanying drawing A represents a tire-place provided with a proper door,a, through which to introduce fuel, while B is .another fire-place, also provided with a similar door, b, for a like purpose. V

A double wall, A', surmonnted by`a hinged dampm er, B', operated by a suitable handle, C, from outside the case, is interposed between the lire-places.

closed or turned'up so that its edge will rest against the bottom ofthe boiler C.

The products of combustion are carried through the lower series of tubes 11, and, striking against the front wall' of the fire-box B, return through the upper series of tubes a', which extends backward throughthe rear wall 'of the fire-box A, and are discharged into the ue D', where they mingle with jets of air admitted-through the opeuingE and discharged through -the fines c.

` Should more tire be required it may be made in the fire-box B, which receives its draught is admitted through openings c' in the double wall, (see g. 7,) which areregulated by the'slidiug damper cl.

Air isadmitted to these openings through an orice in the base of the double wall.

rlhe rear wall of the boiler C' has an upward and backward curve, terminating in an evaporating-pan,

E', which has a slight inclination upward and rearward. rlhis plan also forms the top of the iluevD'..

The boiler and pan should belled with, cane-juice, the gates d', which close openings from the boiler into the wells orvsinks c heilig closed, until the whole surface ofthe evaporating-pan is covered. The depth of the juice in` said pan may be governed b v the adjustable gates e', which afford communication between the pan and the drip-pipes F and into the leaders f, which connect, at the opposite and lower end, with the sinks or wells e. j

As soon as ebuhtion takes place the steam swells the volume of' juice and inclines it to run over, when the juice will find an exit through the gates e', under the fixed gates j" intotl1eleaders,and thence into the sinks or wells e, whose gates d should now be opened and allow the juice to again 'pass into the boiler. These gates d' being above the bottom of the wells, allow sedimcntar matter to settle, while the clear juice will pass into the boiler C', and the sediment may, when desired, be drawn ofi' through the openmcs g.

bAiter the juice has passed under the fixed j", before it reaches the 1eaders,'it must pass over other fixed gates G whose top projects a little above the bottom of the gates f', thereby compelling the latter to skim the juice, turning the scum into the drip pi pes F, while the juice will pass onto the perforated bottoms o the leaders and thence into the wells. The scum by this means is carried through the gates h, which are adj usted vertically in slides `h and lead into the drip-pipes, the scum falling through said drippipes into a proper receptacle, while the vapor and steam pass upward into the condenser, as hereinafter described.

A valve, F', which is suitably hung for the purpose, controls the greater or lesser-flow 'of juice, as may be desired, from the boiler- G to the evaporating-pan E.

Should it be desired at any time to draw olf aportion otlfthe juice, it maybe done through the standpipe G, whose base should be in the form of a cone, or substantiallythat, and whose upper end should lead vinto a conductor, t', and the pipe should be provided with any suitable cutfotfvalre.. *When the sirup is highly concentratedit will-be easily. burned, asthere is not evaporation enough from it to keepY the temper ature below the lnirning-point.

To wreduce this l temperature without a reduction of the iire', as the liquid passes over the 'perforated bottoms ofthe leaders f and slowly passes into the sinks or wells, the hot-aill is .aliowed to pass -oi through the' pipes G', while cold air is admitted through the short pipes H, which rise through the cover H ot' the boiler and ,evnporating-pan.

When it is not desired to draw off any of the juice through the stand-pipe Gr, the conductor-t' may, be removed and theend of the pipe turned to discharge the juice onto the perforated distributer I, through which it will be equally distributed over the -width of the evaporating-pan, as shownin fig. 2.

Proper valves 'i' are placed infthe air-pipes H, and

are connected by suitable' rods baud bell-cranks kl to v a vibrating regulator, I', which is'suspeuded from the cover of the pan so that it willA work freely above the bottom ofthe pan, allowing bot liquid to pass under and hot air to pass oversaid regulator.

This regulatorl is com-posed of coiled .wi-re, one end,I

of which is secured to the center at l, from'which the whole device'is 'suspendedv from thccover, as before recited, while its other end is secured at l' to the opf erating-levcr J, theopposite: end of whichisintuijn' secured to the connecting-rods 7s.

Radiating from the centeroi' this vdevice are short rigidarms, Im, upon whiclfare sleeved the conductors J which are in the form of an inverted letter-U, with their upper edges perforated, as shown.

To the under side of these conductors..are'rigidly secured ianges m', which are provided with notches Yupon their bottom edges, which notchesl engage with the couvolutions of the coiledfwire *K i'n such a inanner as to allow said wire to expandand contract freely, while the radiating arms.` which are-attached to the lever at their outer ends will, byexpausiou, contract the coil. and actuate the lever J, and, through the connecting-rods It and cranks k,`regnlate the valves c" in the air-pipes H.

By means ot'` the conductors J' the juice is distribl nted evenly over thev bottom of the evaporating-pau,

while the perlorations in their tops allow the steam to pass oli'. f

K' is a receiving-pan, (represented in section in iig, 4, with sides broken out,) 4through which the boiler and'evaporatiiig-pan is fed with fresh juice, as may be'required. This pan has an upper chamber, n, and a lower chamber, fn. The juice 'is conducted into the lower chamber nf' through the pipe L.

The partition o, which divides these two chambers, is provided with two openings, which are closed by valves o ando", the former opening upward-and the latter downward. f

These two valves are actuated through the con,

meeting-rods p' and rock-shaft L', whiclris properly'v The rock-shaft is actuated'by means of a float, M, which rests upon thev juice in the ,evaporating-pan.

, The loat is secured to an'. arm, p", which passes upward through the cover of said evaporating-pan, connects with the rocker-arm r,- which in turn connects with the rock-shaft. As the oatrises and falls it controls the valves which allow the juice to pass from the-'lowerto the upper chamber and enter the evaporating-pan through the pipe M', whose opposite end (shown in dotted lines in tig. 4) extends, in said evaporating-pan, nearly down the incline to the boiler, so that the juice so injected will be discharged as near the'ii're as'is possible.

near its top. Strikingv thegshelt' inl this manner, the column of air is broken up and ditfused over the whole surface of the, boiling liquid. This shelf is not shown in the drawing, except in'ig. 3, and is lettered N', and in lig. 7.

-forj nice to be discharged through l:the pipe L into the receiving-chambers fn n', and thence into the evaporating-pan, the vapor and steam escaping through the side-pipes Fis conducted bythe branch pipes 0' into the dues r of the heater, which is composed of a series ot' inverted lU-shaped dues, O, 'having chambers P'between and above the dues, in which the juice is placed. v

each other by'means oi' pipes s, which pass through the, dues', so that the juice is kept in circulation while being brought to a boil. The supply-steam will-escape through the pipe P. v

llhe wallsot' these tlues are double, as shown in iig. Abandthe jacket lt, which covers one end-ofA said fines, is provided with openings and valves R' opposite the ends ofthe dues, which, when required, allow cool air to he admitted to them; and

-S are openings through which the condensed'steam may be drawn oi.

Thesteanvryon entering the iiue r',`t`ollows thedirection of the arrows in iig, 5. Should more heat'be required than is obtained by the manner just described, 'it may 'be 'had b'y attaching the pipe S 'to the air-pipe N, which then, instead of feeding cold' air .into the boiler, will conduct the steaul from theboiler to the branch pipes T, and thence lthrough small lbranches into the ilues O", through the jacket T', which is partially broken ont :in the drawing to show the openings into the open air-spaces t in theilues.

The pipes T are provided with valves, Y, by means pif which the steam is regulatedin its l'passage into the ues.

To urther utilize the heat yand waste steam, the upper endoi' the pipes T terminate ina pipe, W, which may be employed l'or drying fruit or other n'iaterials. Withinv this chamber the pipe extends nearly to the top, and "'sear the door there are openings in the pipe which may be covered with thesleeved valve V'. By closing 'thi-svalve the steam and hot air will be disfcharged through the open end ot'. the pipe T, nearl the top of the chamber. By opening said valve thedischargewill be near the floor. I

.X is an escape-,pipe rising from the top of the chamber;- and l v X', a door through which access is had to the int-erior ofthe chamber. Y v What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

IK", in` iig. l, represents the receiving-pan with its- A'n air-pipe, N, whichA passes downward through the .I cover of the boiler O', allows a current ot cool airl to strike'upou ashelf ,near the froutrof" said boiler andl O is a heater or condenser. When used as a heater 4These chambersalso have communication with.

enters throughthe bottoni ot'y the chamber W', which a b', and ue's c, and ue D', with tbe two fire-boxes A B and boiler G,.-When vconstructed to operate as 4herein described.

' 4. The arrangement of the boiler C', evaporatingpan E', gates d,snks or weils e, drip-pipes F, leaders j', gates e-,xed gates f g', and adjustable gates '71,. Y when constructed and operating as and for the p1j1r-' pose herein set forth.

lating for the purpose specified.

6. The arrangement of the pipes G H H', the

5. In `evaporators, the valve or gate F',`when oper- .meteo latter being provided with valves i', for the purposes set forth. Y

7 The regulator I', when constructed and 'hung as described, in connection with the operatinglever connecting-rods k, and valves i', when operating for the purposes specied.

" 8. In evaporating-pans, the perforated distribute: I; in conneetionlwith the standLpipe Gffbr tbe purposesv herein set fort-h.

9. The receiving-pan K', divided into two chambers n, n', provideduwith valves o o", operated by the float M through the arm p", rocker-arno fr, rock-sbaft L, and connecting-rods p', when. constructed and operating for the purposes herein specified.

10. The heater 0 provided with 'lues'fr' O", cbambers P, pipes s, jackets R T, openings and valves Bf, openings S, when constructed and arranged as herein set forth.

Witnesses: EBENEZER SPERRY.

'HARRY S. SPRAGUE, Taos. S. SPBAGUE. 

